Manufacturing the case for war

Most of the headlines should concern this Newsweek Article that basically lays out the case that we've already decided to go to war with Iran, and are simply in the process of putting the facts in place to fit that decision. To me, the most amazing thing is that this is put forward so nonchalantly, as if this weren't the height of insanity. By the way, Sy Hersh called the whole thing in The New Yorker last April. At the time I read that, I remember being very skeptical....oh well.

Therefore, just to go on the record, I'll add my blog to the ones that attempt to point out that the administration may not be following the most prudent strategy here. For instance, before we place into our collective minds the "fact" that Iran is responsible for 25% of the US casualties in the fourth quarter of last year, we should probably delve a bit into that assertion. The indispensable Juan Cole does here, and it aint pretty.

The attempt to blame these US deaths on Iran is in my view a black psy-ops operation. The claim is framed as though this was a matter of direct Iranian government transfer to the deadliest guerrillas. In fact, the most fractious Shiites are the ones who hate Iran the most. If 25 percent of US troops are being killed and wounded by explosively formed projectiles, then someone should look into who is giving those EFPs to Sunni Arab guerrillas. It isn't Iran.

So, which of the following statements will be embraced by the collective psyche?

Iran is responsible for arming the militants that are killing our soldiers.

The reality on the ground in Iraq makes the notion that Iran is responsible for arming the militants that are killing our soldiers extremely problematic, and probably false.